Quick, Easy Couscous Soups

by Gerry Rowan

Making a camp meal might entail gathering firewood, building a fire, and then cooking. This could take an hour or more. That’s a long time when you’re really hungry. A quick, easy-to-make soup could be a camping version of fast food.
 
Couscous is a pasta-related product, usually made from semolina flour, that most better supermarkets now sell. A number of variations are available. Some versions are granular like sand (Moroccan or North African); others (Israeli) are the size for tapioca. There are also several versions sized between these extremes. Smaller versions cook in 10 minutes;  larger versions take longer.
 
Try toasting the couscous in a dry skillet before cooking with it. This can be done at home well in advance of your camping trip.
 
10-Minute Soup
2 quarts water                                                                                     
4 bouillon cubes (chicken or vegetable)                                                                                                       
2 to 3 tablespoons butter or olive oil                                                                    
1 cup couscous (wheat, whole wheat, or barley)
2 or 3 green onions, chopped (including white parts)
½ teaspoon hot pepper flakes
Grated parmesan cheese on the side
Add water, bouillon cubes, and butter to soup pot and bring to a simmer. Add couscous, hot pepper flakes, and green onions; then simmer for 10 minutes. Serve with grated parmesan cheese on the side.
Substitutions: 2 quarts chicken or vegetable stock for the water and bouillon cubes; 1 to 2 teaspoons chili oil for the hot pepper flakes.
Additions: 1 cup fresh or frozen peas; one 8-ounce can bamboo shoots; one 8-ounce can sliced mushrooms; 8 ounces torn spinach added with the couscous; ¼ cup oil-cured dried tomatoes, slivered; 4 to 8 ounces ham or Spam, diced; 4 to 8 ounces hard salami, slivered; 2 or 3 hard-cooked eggs, chopped; 8 ounces sautéed beef, chicken, turkey, or pork; 1 to 2 tablespoons soy sauce; 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil.
Egg Drop Version: Drizzle in 3 well-beaten eggs in the last few minutes of cooking.
 
10-Minute Couscous Side Dish
1½ cups water
1 bouillon cube (chicken or vegetable)
1 tablespoon butter or olive oil                                 
1 cup couscous (wheat, whole wheat, or barley)                                                                     
1 green onion, chopped (including white part)
¼ teaspoon hot pepper flakes
Grated parmesan cheese on the side
Add water and bouillon cube to small pot and bring to a boil. Simmer until bouillon cube is dissolved. Add couscous and bring back to a simmer; then remove from heat and cover tightly. Allow to stand for 10 minutes and serve. The substitutions and additions for the soup version also apply here.
 
Milk Soup
1 cup couscous
1 quart milk
1 bouillon cube (chicken)
3 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, peeled and chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped
¼ cup parsley, chopped
1½ cup ricotta or cottage cheese
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Bottled hot sauce on the side
Parmesan cheese served on the side
Add butter to saucepan and heat until butter stops foaming. Add onion and sauté until translucent; then add garlic. Continue to sauté for an additional 2 minutes. Add milk and bouillon cube; then bring to a low simmer and add couscous. Continue to simmer, stirring often, for 10 minutes. Add parsley and season with salt and pepper. Place a dollop of ricotta cheese in a bowl and top with the soup. Serve with a good bottled hot sauce and parmesan cheese on the side.
Substitutions: Orzo pasta (or any tiny pasta) for the couscous; 1 quart water and 1⅓ cups powdered dry milk for the liquid milk; one 14-ounce can evaporated milk and 2⅓ cups water for the liquid milk; bacon fat for the butter.
Additions: 6 slices bacon, chopped and sautéed until crispy (substitute bacon fat for the butter); one 4-ounce foil pack salmon or tuna (water-packed); 1 to 7 ounces Spam, diced.